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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30036378">The Coldest Flame</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyonsTea/pseuds/LyonsTea'>LyonsTea</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/M, Trans Azula (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:48:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,333</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30036378</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyonsTea/pseuds/LyonsTea</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A lost princess tries to find her spark and relight the flame inside of her, not without the help of a new friend though.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azula &amp; Sokka (Avatar), Azula/Sokka (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Azula sat in the inn, she always stayed in the corner. It kept her out of sight, which is what she needed right now. She was a war criminal, wanted for a dozen crimes and then some. It's not easy to plan a coup or a revolution when you can't show your face. The anonymity was the hardest part, she was royalty, her face had been ingrained in nearly everyone's brains for over a decade. </p><p>She had been here for a few weeks, it was a small town. No more than a few hundred people, didn't ask questions, didn't want to know who she was or where she came from, they lived their life and she lived hers. She respected that, envied their ignorance. She couldn't sit so idly by tough, she had her plan.</p><p>Find supporters, place them in high ranking positions, have them hold the palace hostage so she can just walk in, take her throne, and throw Zuko to the rats. Then Ozai would see, she didn't need him. She didn't deserve to be tossed aside, she could survive without him. Azula could feel her teeth grind against each other, her fingernails dug into her palms, it happened every time she thought of Zuko, or Ozai, or whenever she saw her mother.</p><p> Her train of thought was interrupted by the shadow that was cast over her. She looked up at the figure, a tall man, with a man and a woman either side. They were all hooded. "Good afternoon, princess.." The man in the middle spoke quietly, it was clear he wanted to keep this interaction between the 4 of them.</p><p>She caught her breath, she didn't think anyone knew her. She did know the voice though, it was familiar she just couldn't place it. "What do you want?" She asked, sitting up a bit. Her eyes darted around the room, no one was paying them any attention, yet, that was good. She could run... but then she'd have to leave town and find a new one, not easy. She could fight? No.. Same outcome. Besides, the door was across the building, they'd catch her first, and she was out of practice. She was good but these 3 didn't look like they were fooling around, and she was cornered.</p><p>"Calm down, Your Royal Highness, we're your friends." The man took down his hood and Azula knew the face instantly. It was one of Ozai's top generals. "We have a common interest, you see, your brother is coming to town in a few days. We want him taken down just as much as you do, and we need your help for it." He laid out his plan, not exactly a hard one. Zuko comes to town, Azula shoots lightning at his heart before anyone can jump in his way while they rest of New Ozai Society take his Kyoshi Warriors out of the picture.</p><p>Azula was quiet for a few moments but stood up. "You've got a deal." She said, shaking his hand. She never saw the other 2 faces but she suspected they had similar backgrounds. She left the inn soon after, her identity had been compromised, it wouldn't be long before someone else knew, and tried to collect the bounty on her head. She was always packed to leave at a moments notice but now she was ready. Her room was almost barren, save for the book she kept to write in, keep herself sane and collect her thoughts.</p><p>The next few days were busy, she had to factor all this new information into her plan, the New Ozai Society, she shivered at the name. It was so ugly, so rough. Her book was covered in scribbles, crossing out old ideas and trying to fill her book with new ones. She felt the anxiety building back up in her, it was the same feeling she had back on the day of her coronation, back on the day of Sozin's Comet. She hated it, it was the worst feeling. </p><p>Azula spent the entirety of the next few days planning, she barely ate, drank water, and only slept when she passed out from sleep deprivation. Her devotion to making a new plan was obsessive and she wouldn't stop until it was absolutely necessary. All her plans were flawed though, she was flawed. There was too much margin for error, too much room for failure where she gets thrown in jail or at best, exiled, but she wouldn't let that happen. She wasn't Zuko. She couldn't be Zuko. She threw her book against the wall, and heard a knock on the door. It was the general. "It's time." She felt a lump in her throat and a nauseous feeling in her stomach, it was real, it was happening. It was too fast she needed a moment to breathe.</p><p>She walked out with the man, she turned her hands to fists to prevent them from shaking. She knew this plan was good, remarkable even, however, there was one fatal flaw Azula refused to admit to herself until now. She could barely bend. Her lightning went all over the place, the last time she tried it recoiled back and she nearly killed herself. She climbed the building, it faced the square, where Zuko would pass through. She sat there for half an hour before the crowd gathered, then another hour before Zuko came. She looked at him, he was in the middle, beside Mai. Around him were the Kyoshi Warriors, that Suki girl, along with 5 others. She looked at the green bodyguards. Something was off, something was wrong. There was a new one. Her face fell flat.</p><p>Ty Lee.</p><p>She couldn't let Ty Lee get hurt. She began to panic again, caught off guard again she had to think fast. The general and his posse moved out of their hiding places. He saw them move towards the group, the general himself seemed to be going for Ty Lee. Azula jumped up. "NO!" She screamed as a bolt of lightning flew from her fingers through the air. She heard screams but when she tried to land her foot slipped. She felt her head smack off of the shingles on the roof and everything went dark as she felt herself slipping down towards the floor.</p><p>It wasn't until she came to that she saw Zuko sitting beside her. She tried to sit up but her wrists and ankles were bound to the bed. "What is this?!" She asked, "Let me go!" Azula pulled against the restraints, but to no avail. She looked around the room. She was in a hospital, it was definitely Fire Nation, when she looked out the window she saw the palace. She was in the capital. Fuck.</p><p>"You're awake..." Zuko said, "Can't say I've missed the screaming." He sighed, "I just..." He hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to thank you for saving my life." Azula got confused, this was very unlike her, she wasn't the saving type. She tried to remember what had happened. She was on a roof. She shot lightning, somewhere. Then it came back to her, Ty Lee, the general, this was... not the worst outcome. "I guess I misjudged you." </p><p>Azula spoke, "were there any... deaths?" She didn't want to kill his story, it was good for her if he thought what he did. </p><p>Zuko nodded, "One" Azula's heart sped up, she couldn't bare the thought Ty Lee dying. It was agonising. "General Yozun. The man you shot, they couldn't save him... but you shouldn't concern yourself with that, you took quite a fall. You should focus on getting better." He said</p><p>Azula couldn't be more relieved, but she didn't let herself relax. "Why? So you can just send me to the Boiling Rock for the rest of my life? So I can rot in jail like father?!" She glared at him, waiting for him to say 'of course, you evil bitch, you're gonna die in jail' but he didn't say that.</p><p>"I've spoken to a few people... And we think that you should be rewarded for saving my life." He stood up. "You can stay in the palace, but you aren't allowed to leave without supervision and you will be closely watched at all times, unless you want to go to prison." </p><p>She was shocked to say the least. This was the last thing she expected of Zuko but well, it couldn't have turned out better for her. "That sounds... agreeable." She said, she didn't want to sound too grateful, too desperate. "I can agree to those terms." She watched Zuko leave. Finally able to take a breath. Great, now she needed another plan. This wasn't going to be easy but then again, was anything ever easy for her?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Azula's recovery takes longer than expected.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Azula's recovery took longer than she had initially anticipated. If you asked her when she woke up she'd tell you that she would be doing cartwheels and backflips in a week, but a broken leg had other plans for her. Azula was never a fan of hospitals. They stink of death and decay, it's even worse when you have to stay in them for extended periods of time. She got really sick once as a child and vowed the next time she'd visit a hospital was her deathbed but well... that clearly hasn't gone too well. </p><p>Doctors probed her leg, they brought in healers from the Northern Water Tribe but she wasn't having any of it. She didn't need a waterbender to help her, she could heal her own body. She learned to walk without bending her leg, learned to move with a crutch, it wasn't the easiest thing to get used to but Azula had done harder. After she had been discharged she was escorted to the palace. </p><p>Her room was as chaotic as the day she left it, it seemed no one had been there at all from the thin layer of dust collected around the room. She limped over to her bed, letting out a groaned sigh as she fell onto it, exhausted. She had been formulating her schemes and plots but everything seemed to fall through on account of either her clear falling out with Ozai and her broken leg, not to mention her bending. This would be a much more long term endeavour than she initially thought but she'd make due. Azula always made due.</p><p>The first order of business was cleaning her room. Which was much more difficult than you'd think, not being able to easily bend down makes picking things up a chore, and having to hold a crutch all the time makes sweeping infuriating at best. She felt helpless, useless, a feeling she'd been trying her whole life to avoid. The first order of business was fixing her mirror. It was still in shards so that needed replacing. Then came new sheets for the ones she burned during her little... outburst back at Sozin's comet. Then she let the servants dust off her armour and weapons that hung on the wall. Along with her vases and more traditional decorations.</p><p>She constantly felt the stares of her guards pierce into her back. Watching her every move, it was like they were waiting for a chance to throw her back in jail, she didn't get a moment alone, save for the bathroom and while she slept but that didn't give her much time to think. A broken leg left Azula with plenty of free time. She couldn't train, couldn't plot, couldn't even do anything with Ty Lee and Mai on account of them hating her. Even though she saved both their lives. The nerve of some people.</p><p>What to do though? Painting?.. No, She'd never been one for the arts. Maybe she could write? An autobiography, that'd sell, but her story was far from over... so that'd have to wait for now. She tried to pace, to help her think but that wasn't very convenient or comfortable so she settled for scribbling ideas on her desk, in a notebook. A new one seen as the other one had some... less than legal writings that wouldn't go over well with anyone if found. So she burned her book, besides all the ideas in it were void now anyways. Circumstances are too different. Things changed.</p><p>"What do I like to do?" She mumbled to herself as the pen sat in her mouth. She compiled a list, Sieging... Pillaging... Conquering for the glory of the Fire Nation... Winning... She liked learning? But school seems a little... bland for her taste now, she'd have to talk to Zuko about a private tutor so that she can have something to do, but she couldn't shake the fact that she had a distinct lack of hobbies. They seemed trivial before. If you're not constantly improving why do anything at all but man was she bored out of her mind. It was terrible! </p><p>She went on for hours but all she came up with was military strategy, becoming Fire Lord, being a good Fire Lord, pleasing Ozai... That one stuck in her head, for ages. All she could think about was Ozai. Her whole life was seemingly dedicated to him. She wanted to be the Fire Lord to follow in his footsteps. She thought back to her childhood but all she could remember was how proud he was, how hard she tried to get his love, how desperately she wanted, no, she needed to separate herself from Zuko. She could feel herself spiralling but was helpless to stop it. She could hear his voice in her head, she saw his face in the mirror. She tried to stand up and back away but fell back onto her hands. His words lingered in the air "Disappointing... You can do better... You don't want to end up like Zuko do you?"</p><p>His voice pierced her ears, she couldn't bear it. She shut her eyes and covered her ears with her hands, trying to flush it out,  but it didn't stop until she saw Zuko in front of her. He looked... worried. She didn't understand it, upon going to reach out to him she felt his arm, squeezed it. He was real... at least she knew that. "Azula?! What's going on?" He asked her, as he helped her off the floor, sitting her on the bed. "You could've hurt your leg... Is everything okay?" She felt his arm on her but couldn't bring herself to pull away.</p><p>"It's... nothing.." She felt a shiver run down her spine. "I just... tripped over, I'll be okay" Her voice was quiet, her breath unsteady. The cast around her leg had a small crack on it from how she had landed. Azula was seeming to develop a habit of falling. "I can handle myself." She still looked out of it, not fully back and Zuko could see this. He saw the same look he saw in her eyes when they fought. Thinking about the fight always made him feel a little guilty, and now even more so.</p><p>"Azula..." He insisted, "Let me help you, I see good in you!" He took her hands in his. "You saved my life... I at least owe you this much." Zuko didn't let up. Seeing Azula save him, seeing how she jumped off a roof, risked her life for him... It made him rethink a few things, restored his faith in her somewhat. </p><p>"I... saw dad... in the mirror and.. I could hear him too." Her words made Zuko's eyes widen. "but... it wasn't real!" She grunted in frustration. "It was all in my head, just like mom!" She was saying too much, at least more than she intended to. She saw the look on Zuko's face, confusion, scepticism, pity. "You think I'm crazy..."</p><p>Zuko shook his head. "No! I believe you.." He didn't know if he did. He knew his father was in prison. He visited him yesterday, there's no way he could've gotten here since, and there's no way he knows Azula is here anyway, and their mother? That was impossible. "Just... talk to me..."</p><p>Azula felt tears forming in her eyes. She felt weak, vulnerable, pathetic. She wiped her eyes, "I just... I wanted a hobby! All I have is dad... and the Fire Lord... and... and..." Her voice was cracking. "I don't know who I am... Zuko... I don't know anything about myself..." She broke down, her face falling into Zuko's shoulder. </p><p>He was dumbfounded, "Azula I..." His hand moved to her back, slowly moving it up and down. He'd never seen his sister acting like this, he felt sorry for her, sympathised with her for the first time. "He's in prison now Azula... He can't hurt anyone, there's guards and..." His words didn't seem to help her. "Maybe we should... find something for you to do? Get you a hobby until your leg heals up, then you can go back to doing what you usually do... Whatever that may be..." Zuko thought about it, now that the war was over, Azula didn't have anything, she was lost, just like he was only a year ago. "I promise I'll help you Azula..."</p><p>Azula lifted her head, "You want to help me?" She couldn't believe him. "Why? I tried to capture you? and... and kill you... and.. I wouldn't forgive me?!" She looked at him, saw his pity, his sympathies. She didn't want to but... it was hard to convince herself she didn't need it. "Why are you doing this for me? I wouldn't do it for you?"</p><p>He sighed, "Ozai hurt you... clearly. He hurt me too." Azula's eyes were drawn to his scar. "I don't want you going down his path, not if I can help it. Not even you deserve something like that. Not anyone." He stood up, "Why don't we... have some dinner... and talk... and get to know each other.. for real, no dad trying to pull us apart or a war pushing us on opposing sides. Maybe you can find something out about yourself? Sounds good?"</p><p>Zuko handed Azula her crutch. She stood up and nodded. "Fine... That sounds fine." She said, slowly following him, careful not to put any more pressure on her foot than absolutely necessary. One of those water healers sounded pretty good right about now. They sat at a large, long table. She was used to the table, they used to have family dinners there. Though she wasn't used to Zuko at the head of it, not did she like the ornament on his head. "So... What do we talk about?" She asked, beginning to eat the food that Zuko had the chef's whip up.</p><p>Zuko thought for a moment, "Do you like the theatre?" She shot back a quick no. "Do you like running?" But apparently it's only enjoyable when there's someone to chase, also the broken leg. Turned out a lot of what Azula enjoyed required legs and an active war to not be illegal. "How about a garden?" Before Azula gave her next snarky comeback he continued. "You don't have to move too much... it gives you something to do every day, you can make it perfect and it can be just yours. I promise."</p><p>Azula thought for a while, "Okay then, fine. I'll tend a garden, but it has to get good sunlight! and I want a wide variety of flowers and... maybe you should write this down. I have a few demands." She started to ramble, even requested a specific type of soil, something he had never heard of, but it was written down all the same. It was clear she knew a bit about gardening, but he wasn't sure why. It didn't give any obvious tactical advantage, nor did it help her become a Fire Lord, or impress Ozai....</p><p>"I'll talk to the castle gardeners and get them to get all this... stuff... you want anything else?" He asked her, looking up from the pen and paper.</p><p>There was a brief silence before she spoke, "I want to go to the prison. To visit him." She said, and Zuko wrote it in the notebook.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Azula starts her garden and has a conversation with her father.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Azula walked outside, her piece of garden was only about 10x15 sq. foot but at least it was something to do. She spent the morning planting seeds, watered them as well as the existing flowers already. It was... nice, surprisingly. She enjoyed the peace, the solitude she got. Even the guards stayed inside to let her work alone. She thought about plotting, thought about it a lot, but for the first time ever she didn't really want to. She'd plot later, for now she wanted to plant, it was fun.</p><p>Most of what she planted were red flowers. Red Tulips, Roses, Poppies, she was a big fan of the colour. Roses were her favourite, she planted most of them. Red, thorned, beautiful. She was drawn to them, paid them special attention, watered them first and put them in the best sunlight.</p><p>Her hands were covered in dirt, her knuckles and wrists ached from a day of digging, admittedly as much as she spent days at a time rigorously training she wasn't used to manual labour. She let out a groan and sighed, dropping her trowel down to the floor. She saw a boy walking by. His hair was in a wolf tail, the sides much shorter than the top. He held a light blue and white machete by his waist and a boomerang in his hand. "Is that.. Sokka?" She mumbled to herself. He had gotten taller in the months since she last saw him, looked much more mature and more handsome. He looked at her, they maintained eye contact for a moment before she quickly returned to digging, to hell with her wrists she didn't want to look like she was staring.</p><p>The sun began to set, the sky turned golden and the clouds mimicked their hue. Zuko blocked the little sunlight that remained in the garden. "Are you ready, Azula?" He asked. He looked serious, was dressed very formally. "Don't want to keep him waiting..." He said, Azula stood back up, not without her brother's help.</p><p>"Let me... clean up first..." She looked down at herself, dirt all over. She couldn't go see her father like this. She half limped to her bedroom, annoyed that she couldn't wear her armour. It didn't fit over the cast, so instead she wore something more elegant. A long dress which covered up her cast, it was red with gold accents. Zuko also had a tiara commissioned when she got back, an extra thank you for saving his life. It was intricate, made of pure gold with a large ruby in the centre and 2 smaller ones either side. "How do I look?" She asked, she had her makeup done as well. She needed to look as good as possible for Ozai, to prove she was doing fine.</p><p>He looked her up and down. "You look... regal..." He said, as an ostrich-horse drawn carriage pulled up and he boosted her up into it, handing her the crutch and climbing in, sitting across from her. The ostrich horses had red and golden armour, the carriage was similarly coloured and the red curtains on the windows gave the inside of the carriage a red tint. "You don't have to do this, you know? You don't owe him anything." He said, "I don't understand what you're getting from this..." He peeked out the window to see the palace sink below the horizon.</p><p>"Closure, Zuko... I have questions, and... I want to show him I don't need him... I can do things on my own." Her hands were balled into fists, he nails dug into her palms, she felt them break past her skin. Ozai had been lingering in her mind ever since he betrayed her so cruelly. He permeated her thoughts daily, she thought about him near constantly. She hated him. Well, maybe not hated. She loved him, and wanted to impress him and needed his approval but she hated him. It was complicated.</p><p>When they arrived it was pitch black, Azula couldn't see much, Zuko held a flame over his hand, the warmth felt good against their faces, lit up the surroundings with a yellow tone. The flame went out once they stepped inside, there were lit torches against the walls. The walls were made of stone, the air was dry and the room was hot, there was a guard by the desk who looked at the two of them, then at Azula's crutch, then her covered up leg, then back up at them. "First door on the left, Fire Lord Zuko, he's waiting for you."</p><p>Zuko shook his head, "I won't be going in, just Azula." The guard nodded and 2 more walked up to her, escorting her to the room. She gulped and soon the door was opened. "Just say the word when you want to leave." A guard said, "We'll be waiting right here.</p><p>She stepped in. Her eyes were first drawn to Ozai. His beard had grown out, hair too. It had been a long time since it was last cut, or even brushed. It was almost unrecognisable. He had on a beige set of prisoner's close, he hand his hands and ankles cuffed, each set of cuffs were also cuffed to the table that he sat by. It wasn't a glamorous set up but he made it due. They didn't need to break it out often, not many visitors for a disgraced Fire Lord. She stood for a moment, let him see her. He saw the crutch too, she could see it in his face. </p><p>A tsunami of emotions overwhelmed her. She had to fight off tears. She eventually sat in front of him. "Father..." She said, as the crutch leaned against the table. "It's been a while..." She kept her opening brief. A conversation with Ozai was a battlefield and one deadlier than Azula ever faced in the war.</p><p>"Azula... You look... gorgeous" He tried not to sound too desperate for her help. "What is your plan? Is Zuko dead yet? Are you here to break me out?"</p><p>Azula was confused. "Break you out? You aren't angry? You aren't even raising your voice? You-" She cut herself odd, she was saying too much. If he didn't know then that wasn't something she should give away.</p><p>"Azula, we both lost that day, I don't fault you for it, but that doesn't mean we can give up. Won't you help your father?" His hands took hers, he looked into her eyes. He was desperate, Azula could see it. He needed her and she didn't need him, she held all the power... however, she was still powerless. She felt trapped, cornered. She didn't want to help him, it would be idiotic, ruin any chance she ever had of power. "Please, Azula, I can make you Fire Lord again, we can rule the world together. As father and daughter."</p><p>Something clicked in her brain. "That's... what you said last time." She withdrew her hands. "You promised me... That I would be Fire Lord, and, and that we would rule together. Then you tossed me aside when you got a scrap of power!" Tears formed in her eyes and she felt her fists balling up again.</p><p>“Azula… This will be different! I was rash before but now I know how valuable you are to me. How well you can serve me- I mean, with me, of course.” </p><p>“NO!” She shouted, she was shaking, Azula had been all over the world, tore down the walls of Ba Sing Se, killed the avatar, lived on the lamb for months but this was the most terrifying thing she had ever done. Her nails dug further into her hands, blood dripped between her fingers and down to the ground. She stood up, leaning on the crutch. “I am done being your lackey. I am done playing your games. I am done being lesser than you! All you do is use people, I devoted my entire life to you. I spent months on the run for you and what do I get out of it?! I get to be tossed aside when you get power again! Well I don’t want that! I don’t deserve that!”</p><p>Ozai was in shock. “Azula-” She cut him off.</p><p>“If you’re so powerful. Burn me. Burn me like you did Zuko and I’ll do… whatever you want. I’ll walk out that door… and kill him. Do it.” They sat in silence together for a minute. “You can’t… Can you? I… had heard rumours but… wow…” She thought for a moment. “This… was interesting. Thank you, father.” She said, and headed to the door. Leaving, she leaned against the wall outside the room.</p><p>It was finally over. She felt the tears fall down her face. That was hard, but it had to only get easier right? It had to… Azula didn’t know how much more she could take.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Azula spent the next few days in her garden. trying to distract herself from the many thoughts bouncing around her head. It was like a very mentally exhausting game of tennis. Thoughts would bounce back and forth, rarely ones she enjoyed having. So she distracted herself, got Zuko to give her a bigger garden. Watered it daily, planted new seeds. Her flowers were arranged in the pattern of a Fire Nation Insignia, once they grew it'd be beautiful.</p><p>Zuko came by every so often. He wanted to help her, he saw what she was doing. He did it too. Distracting herself from dealing with her issues. Plunging into a new goal so that you don't have time to think about what's troubling you. He found her asleep on the bench against the wall more than once, no doubt she had just taken a moment to rest her eyes and had fallen asleep. </p><p>He'd bring her food, water, a blanket if it was late. She never let him see her eat it but he'd always find an empty plate and the blanket wrapped around her. He wanted to do more, felt obligated to help her but if she was going to be even half as stubborn as he was then this would be a painfully slow endeavour. Sometimes he would send a guard in his place, he was a busy man. Ruling a nation coming out of a war wasn't easy work. He had meetings daily, a lot of them were with his friends though, like Sokka. He always came in place of his father as Chief of the Water Tribe.</p><p>While these meetings were supposed to be professional, discussing trade routes and other business but it quickly devolved into a catch up session. While Sokka talked about the struggles of trying to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe, the only thing on Zuko's mind was his sister. "Well, what worked for you?" Sokka asked, "To get you past it and turn to our side?"</p><p>Zuko thought for a moment. "Well, I had my Uncle Iroh but... He doesn't particularly like Azula and he's in the Earth Kingdoms... I had time away from here too... I wasn't so... immersed in the Fire Nation... It's hard to break out of something you're knee deep in." He thought for a moment. "All she does is just... sit there... gardening... All day, sometimes she just... Sits there! And watches the flowers..."</p><p>Sokka thought for a moment. If you had asked him a month ago he would've been all for tossing Azula in an ice box in the Boiling Rock but hearing Zuko talk about her, about how she stood up to Ozai, I mean even he wouldn't stand up to Ozai face-to-face thats a death sentence. "I want to help. Can I like... talk to her or something? You need a day off, man... Seriously... Let me see what I can do... Any excuse not to go back to Katara shouting at me all day..." </p><p>Zuko laughed a bit. "Fine... Just, don't bring up my father or anything, you'll probably give her another break down." He stood up. "Good luck..."</p><p>Halfway across the palace Azula was sitting in her garden. Her knees were covered in dirt and so were her hands. She had sat her trowel down on the bench and was taking a short breather, gardening is hard work. She looked at the flowers which had started to pop out of the soil, her work was starting to pay off and she let a small smile slip for the first time. Her knuckles ached from the digging and planting and watering. A cold breeze blew and she held a flame in her hands as the sun seemed to begin to set. She regained her composure quickly though, when she heard footsteps, and put out her flame. Didn't need anyone to know it wasn't blue anymore. "Who's there?" Her head spun around to see Sokka walking out of the palace. </p><p>"Good afternoon, princess." Azula looked wrecked, but she was still terrifying. He could see her eyes dig into his soul, examining him, his motives, his whole life. Her eyes darted around him, landing on the sword hilt on his waist, her eyes narrowed into a glare and turned back up to his face but before she could speak he threw the hilt to the floor. "I come in peace... promise..." He was expecting this. In his limited experience with Azula he had gathered a few things. She was a genius, the best fighter he'd ever seen, and that's including himself. "I've uhm... been told you have quite the garden here... thought I'd come check it out." He walked over slowly.</p><p>She wiped some sweat from her forehead and turned back to her flowers, "It's alright... I haven't been doing it long so... Not much has grown yet..." She moved to the bench, where Sokka sat too. They didn't say much... it killed them both. Azula couldn't bear to be with her thoughts and Sokka couldn't bear the awkwardness.</p><p>"Is that the Fire Nation emblem?" He asked, looking to the middle of her garden. It was rather cool. I mean, Sokka didn't get to see flowers much in the South Pole so this was a nice change of pace. He could hear Azula laugh a little, and saw a small smile paint her face.</p><p>"You're the first person who's noticed..." She said. "I was starting to think I'd screwed it all up..." He saw her hand move, he flinched a little, getting a laugh out of Azula who was fixing her hair. "Someone's scared..." It was the first time that she had been having a bit of fun in a while, even if it was at Sokka's expense. He looked at her. She looked tired, exhausted. </p><p>The sky was turning from the beautiful orange sunset into the darker night sky. "Hey, uhm... So, I should probably get to bed... Big day of meetings tomorrow." He stood up, looking down at her. "You look tired... You sure you're okay out here? It's getting cold." Azula nodded quickly, not saying anything. "Well, this was fun, if you're here tomorrow maybe you can... teach me something about gardening, don't get many flowers down south." He laughed a bit and after Azula just bid him farewell she went back to her knees. Sokka walked through the castle, into the large guest room Zuko always gave him, falling asleep quickly. Talking to Azula could be exhausting on the best of days, even when she wasn't trying to make it that difficult.</p><p>The next morning he walked through the gardens, seeing Azula wrapped in a blanket, laying on the bench. He kept walking but would be sure to come back later. She looked sad, tired, hurt. He knew he was in the minority when he thought she could be helped but... what kind of person would he be if he never tried. Zuko said a big part of him getting better was his Uncle Iroh and time away, well... Maybe that's all Azula needed too... Someone to give her a push in the right direction. Someone to help her find the right path and the right place.</p><p>Later that day he found her sitting on the bench, she seemed to be doing something with her bending and looked frustrated. She didn't seem to hear him. That's when he saw the orange glow on her face, and then the orange flame in her hands. He was certain her fire was blue though. "Hey..." He said, from behind her. She jumped a little, closing her hands together to put out the flame and turning to face him.</p><p>"What'd you see?" She asked, looking up at him. Azula looked almost scared. It was strange. Sokka was just confused though, he didn't know what she meant.</p><p>"I saw you bending? Some fire? Are you not allowed to do that anymore? I don't see why you'd make it orange though... the blue fire is much cooler.." They both sat in silence for a minute before Sokka realised what had happened, you could see the realisation on his face. "You can't-" But before he could speak Azula's hand had covered his mouth and she was standing a few inches away from him. </p><p>"Shut up." She demanded. "Tell anyone and I'll kill you, okay?" He quickly nodded and her hand fell away from his face. "I mean it. If anyone finds out I'll... I'll be a joke! I'll have no hope of becoming-" She cut herself off. "Never mind just... don't tell anyone!" She sighed, sitting back down.</p><p>Sokka didn't speak for a moment. "You know... one time I dropped my boomerang into the sea... on a fishing trip... and I didn't want my sister to find out because it was like the third time that week I'd lost it, so I told her I didn't bring it when she asked and I spent the next 3 nights, swimming in the freezing cold waters to find it... I nearly got hypothermia... but I found it, and no one else in the world ever knew, until now at least..."</p><p>Azula started to laugh, "For a boomerang?" Sokka started to laugh too. "That's dedication..." She said and after a moment of silence between them she spoke again. "I respect that... Maybe you're not all bad, waterboy..."</p><p>"You're not so bad yourself firegirl..." He smiled a bit.</p><p>With that Azula stood up. "Well... It's starting to get late... I'm gonna... head in.." She said, looking at the door. "Are you gonna be here tomorrow?" He nodded, standing up too. "Cool... cool... I'll see you around then." She said, as they both walked inside, heading in opposite directions to their respective rooms.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
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    <p>Sokka stood in the training grounds. He held the obsidian coloured blade in his hands. The metallic sound of swords clashing alerted Azula, who came to watch as quickly as she could, which wasn't very quick in her condition. She leaned against a wall to ease the pressure on her leg and watched the battlefield. </p><p>Blade clashed against blade, soldier after soldier swung at Sokka but he'd simply parry them away. A blade came against his chest but he simply knocked it to the floor. Another soldier charged him from behind but Sokka sidestepped him and kicked him to the floor. A third guard swung at Sokka but he blocked the blade with his own and pushed back with enough force to knock him to the floor. He sheathed the blade, taking the wolf-styled helmet off of his head, wiping some sweat from his forehead.</p><p>"Well done, warrior boy.." Azula's clapping echoed throughout the arena, the knocked down guards retreated to the dressing rooms. "Well, I'd say you might even stand a chance against me.. in my broken state..." She laughed a bit, grabbing her crutch and limping over. Though she soon found a blade to her throat.</p><p>"That a challenge, princess?" He asked, a smile coming across his face. His sword quickly fell when Azula knocked it out of his hands with her crutch, not without nearly falling of course. Sokka grabbed her quickly, dropping the helmet as his hands wrapped around her. Their eyes met, their faces flushed, Sokka quickly gave Azula her crutch, helping her up. "Sorry... About that..." He said, picking the sword up, putting it back in the sheathe.</p><p>"It's fine..." She cleared her throat. "You were pretty good there though.. Quite the formidable warrior... As soon as my leg is better I'd love to pummel you into the ground." Sokka laughed, picking up the helmet and walking to the exit of the arena, Azula limped along. "Where'd you learn to fight like that? They have masters down in the South Pole?" She asked.</p><p>Sokka shook his head, "No, there's no more masters in the Southern Water Tribe, there's barely even a Southern Water Tribe.." Azula looked away from Sokka, she didn't truly understand what she felt, but it almost felt like... guilt? but that wasn't possible, Azula had no regrets. He continued, "My father taught me everything I know about strategy..." Azula made a comment of him being a smart guy, "I learned a lot from Suki.." There was a tinge of sadness to his voice, she didn't want to ask. "And Master Piandao too, he made this very sword."</p><p>Piandao was a name Azula knew and one she knew well. Her eyes lit up, "That's an original Piandao? Can I see it?!" Once they sat down in the gardens Sokka handed Azula his sword. Turns out Azula was a bit of a collector. "Sokka this is... priceless..." She could see her own reflection in the blade's edge, her finger traced the blade. It was so fine that it cut her finger. Her hands wrapped around the grip. "This is by far one of his best works... You're so lucky.. I'd kill to have one of these... I have killed to get one of these.." She laughed a bit, he didn't share her humour.</p><p>"Yea.. I nearly lost her too..." He said, "Dropped her off an airship." He pointed to a part of the blade, clearly it had been fixed back on by an earth bender. "Took a whole chunk out of her.." He hugged the sword, causing Azula to flinch a little bit. "Maybe Piandao would make you a blade too? You just have to prove yourself... You're more than capable." Sokka sheathed his sword once more. </p><p>"No... I tried before, last year... He turned me away and... Well, I kinda threatened to burn his house down... He won't see me again..." She looked upset, disappointed in herself. "I... don't deserve my own sword..." That day at Piandao's was one of the hardest in her life, it was the first time anyone had ever denied her. She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up at Sokka.</p><p>"You'll get your own sword someday, Azula... You know... You're pretty cool for someone who tried to kill me like, 8 months ago..." He laughed a little bit as his hand fell back to his lap.</p><p>"You're not so bad, for a Water Tribe boy..." She laughed as well. Sokka saw how Azula eyed his sword, envious. "Do you have forges down in the water tribes?" Azula was curious about the Water Tribes. She wanted to know how they were beaten. It was an enigma to her.</p><p>"No, it'd melt the snow and the ice... We get a lot of the equipment from the Earth Kingdom. We're actually trying to make some trade deals with Kyoshi Island to get..." Sokka interrupted himself. "Sorry... I'm talking about politics again.."</p><p>Azula looked confused. "Hey! No, keep going... I love politics!" She smiled, "I've been out of the loop for ages... Update me.."</p><p>Sokka's eyes lit up, everyone always told him to shut up about politics. He proceeded to rant about the current geopolitical state of the world, probably more than he was allowed to say but he didn't care. He got to speak for more than 5 minutes and he was loving it. He rambled about how the Northern Tribe was barely helping them rebuild, or how the Fire Nation had ridiculous tariffs. Which Azula took surprisingly well. He kept going, "And what even is King Bumi's whole deal... I mean how is he king.. when Kuei is meant to be king of the whole place?! Who's in charge?! It's a nightmare..." He let out a tired sigh. They didn't know how long they'd been sitting there for.</p><p>"Wow... I do not want your job.." She laughed, "I'll stick to military strategy and gardening, thank you very much..." She laid down, her head against the grass. "The world has really gone to shit since the war ended." She said, turning to face him.</p><p>He nodded, "Yea... it has..." Sokka thought for a moment. "What're you gonna strategise? I mean... there's no more hundred year war... There's only three nations and I don't think any of them want to go to war? If your whole job is military strategy I doubt you'll be doing much more than you're doing now... You know?" Azula sat up, she didn't really think of it that way before.</p><p>"Uhm... Well..." She didn't know what to say. "I'll... Oh, for Agni's sake, my whole life has been a waste..." You could see the cogs turn in Azula's head. In all of her genius and her braininess, she never considered... What would she strategise...</p><p>"Whoa-" Sokka panicked. "I didn't mean it like that! I was just asking- uh- I- Shit- Look, Azula... You can apply your skills in other ways! Why don't you go around the world and teach people! How to defend themselves! I mean, you toppled Ba Sing Se, right? No one else has ever done that... Ever... And it would be a pretty good way of restoring your honour, or whatever... I know that's important to you Fire Nation folk...</p><p>Azula calmed down. "Okay... You said the Southern Water Tribe was in shambles right? I mean, if I can tear down walls then I can totally build them up! Right?.. You guys need help... Can I help? You're the chief's son, you can... get me a chance, right?"</p><p>Sokka thought for a moment. "I.. probably can do that.." They did need the help... and... he did want to help her. "Let me send a messenger hawk to my father... I'll see what I can do..." He stood up, "i'll get back to you when I get a reply..." She nodded and he walked away. Azula laid there staring at the clouds for a while. She was lost in thought, everything was changing so quickly. She barely had time to cope.</p><p>"Yea, she wants to come down to the Southern Tribe... Help out..." Sokka spoke to Zuko, they sat at a table opposite each other, "I think we should give her the chance, Zuko... honestly... I mean, you knew her all your life! Look how much she's changed in just the past few weeks... away from Ozai... away from the war... She's a good person I can tell... She's just been dealt a bad hand..." Zuko didn't speak. "I'll take full responsibility for whatever she does. I'm telling you, Zuko... There's a person behind her eyes begging to come out and show herself. Do you think Azula a few months ago would spend days at a time fucking gardening!?"</p><p>Zuko sighed, he thought back to when she saved him, or at least when he thought she saved him, as well as the meeting with Ozai. "Okay... okay... She can go... As long as Chief Hakoda allows it..."</p><p>Sokka smiled, "You won't regret this.." He ran out of the room to write his letter.</p><p>Dear dad... no, Dear father? Dear Chief... to whom it may concern... Chief Hakoda... Chief dad? He groaned. "Why is letter writing so hard!" He got a new sheet of paper. "Dear dad... that's a start. Negotiations are going well and I believe in the next few... no... in the coming days I will be able to finalise the trade agreements between the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation. How are things back in the tribe? I can't wait to get home... I miss it so much, however, I do have one favour to ask. There's a girl... no, no that makes it sound like I like her" He crossed out the last line. "Well... I do like her but.. I don't know if I like her like that... Why am I trying to justify this to myself? I've recently become... friends? Acquaintances? friendly... That'll work... I've recently become friendly with Princess Azula, I'm sure you're familiar. She's expressed great interest in aiding the Tribe's repair and I believe she could be a valuable asset to helping form a nation able to stand on its own 2 feet. I would be forever grateful if you were to give her the same chance that we gave Zuko during the war." He read it over again. "Regards, Sokka." He sent it on a messenger hawk and eagerly awaited a response.</p><p>The wait was torture, but it came and Hakoda was convinced. There were conditions of course but nothing that couldn't be dealt with afterwards. First he needed to pack and tell Azula the good news.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
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    <p>Neither of them had much to pack. Sokka didn't bring much, this was only supposed to be a quick diplomatic mission after all, and Azula wasn't planning on staying that long, so she didn't take much. What really stalled their departure was Azula's leg. The Southern Tribe didn't have anyone equipped to take care of Azula's leg if she happened to hurt it further. So they had to wait for the cast to be taken off in the Fire Nation.</p><p>"Finally..." Azula muttered as the doctor cut open the cast on her leg. She stood up, bending her knee slowly. It felt stiff, took her a day or too to get back on her feet properly. While Azula did keep her upper body strength while in her cast, her legs had been slacking. She couldn't jump as high, couldn't run for as long nor as far. " Azula walked over to the training area, Sokka followed behind her. "Ready to take me on in a fight? Or have I scared you off with my skills?" Sokka pulled out his sword, pointing it towards Azula, who had turned to face him. </p><p>"Please, Water boy, I don't wanna hurt you too bad, how about this..." She took a sword off of a weapons rack. "I won't use my bending at all. Just swords." She examined her blade, it was silver in colour, made of steel. She fixed her stance and they both stood still for a moment, eyeing each other, waiting for the other to move. "First one to leave a mark wins..." And with that the fight started.</p><p>Sokka struck first, an overhead strike, Azula brought her blade up to meet his, she pushed back, sending Sokka a few steps away from her. Azula moved next, a foot forward, swinging towards his shoulder. He quickly moved to block it, once the blades clashed Azula swung at the other side, he met her again. "You're good..." She said, before ducking below his blade. She went to strike at his shins but he jumped backwards. Sokka tried to strategise but Azula was too quick to let him think. He thought of Piandao told him, use the environment against your opponent. He looked for something to use, his eyes darted around, but he was soon interrupted by Azula's sword. He moved up to block her but he was unprepared and his grip was weak, the sword flew out of his hand. She went to slice him across the shoulder but Sokka blocked her, he had lifted the sword with his left hand. "I didn't know you were ambidextrous..." She said, as Sokka stood up. She stabbed the blade forward, he did the same, they both came out of the exchange with a cut up shirt and a shallow wound their bodies. Azula's bent around her arm and Sokka's was on his waist. </p><p>They shook hands, put away the swords and patched themselves up. "You put up a good fight" Sokka said, as he put a bandage around his waist, "Think we might've gone a bit far with the stabbing though?" He said, as he wiped some blood off his hand. </p><p>Azula shook her head, "Agni Kai rules are the best kind of rules, Sokka." She covered her cut. "Besides, it's just a flesh wound, big strong warrior can't take a little scrape?" She laughed a bit. "So, legs back working. When are we going?!" Azula didn't care for the wait, the tension and anxiety. Sokka had built up an image of the South Pole and she wanted to it now. </p><p>"The boat isn't boarding for another few hours..." Sokka thought for a moment, "but if you wanna get on early I'm sure no one would refuse a princess and future chief, right?" He headed for the docks with Azula close behind. "Whole boat to ourselves, what'll we do?" He asked, looking toward his new friend.</p><p>Azula spent a few seconds thinking before she spoke, "We could hang out some more?" If you had asked Azula if she 'hung out' with people only a year ago she would've scoffed at you. The last time she had hung out with anyone was when she was 8 years old but now it was all she did, hanging out and gardening. She glanced back towards the palace. "Zuko better not kill my garden... Or else I'll kill him." Smoke came from her nose.</p><p>"It'll be fine, Azula..." Sokka shook his head as they approached the docks. "Zuko can rule a nation, I think he can handle your garden." The 2 guards in front of the entrance to the boat stepped aside and they climbed on board. The two stood at the bow of the ship, Azula looked nervous. She tapped her fingers along the railings of the ship. She was trying to hide it, too proud to admit any fear, especially to someone new she was still trying to make an impression on.</p><p>"What's the Southern Water Tribe like?" She must've asked the question daily, a new excuse every time. Information, planning, boredom, but really it was wonder. She was entranced by the idea of it, the mysticism Sokka had built up. All the camaraderie, the epic battles that took place, the ruins and destruction. It'd be impossible not to at least be interested in it.</p><p>"It's cold, uhm, a lot of igloos, we fish a lot. It's most of what we eat... A lot of waterbenders came down from the north to help build igloos and stuff, that's sort of taking up most of our time at the moment. You'll see it for yourself in a few days, just have some patience." Sokka leaned against the rail next to her. He couldn't ignore the feelings he felt manifesting inside of him. Azula is very attractive, and underneath all the childhood trauma was a pretty cool girl. When you get past all the war crimes she almost seems like a normal, cute girl.</p><p>Azula felt the same way, if you put aside Sokka being from the Water Tribe then he was pretty attractive too. Not that she'd ever admit it, way too much vulnerability for her liking, she wouldn't tell her stuffed animals she loved them let alone a boy that she liked him. They stood in silence for a short while, "I'm going to settle into my room before we leave." Azula said, Sokka nodded and she went off to the largest cabin she could find.</p>
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